The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the BRAIN Initiative, titled "Reagent Resources for Brain Cell Type-Specific Access to Broaden Distribution of Enabling Technologies for Neuroscience (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." This NOFO supports facilities at Resource-Limited Institutions (RLIs) and Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible institutions to produce and distribute reagents that allow access to specific brain cell types. Award recipients will collaborate with the BRAIN Initiative Armamentarium projects, which are responsible for designing and developing these reagents. The goal is to expand access to advanced neuroscience tools, such as viral vectors, nucleic acid constructs, and nanoparticles, which aid researchers in studying neural circuit functions in vertebrates and ex vivo human tissue.

The NOFO addresses the need for specialized infrastructure to manufacture and disseminate these tools to the neuroscience community, particularly institutions historically underfunded by the NIH. By increasing the availability of brain cell-specific reagents, this funding opportunity aims to enhance research capacity at RLIs and IDeA-eligible institutions. Applicants are expected to establish production facilities capable of producing, validating, cataloguing, and disseminating reagents, with a focus on quality assurance and compatibility with in vivo use. The NOFO also promotes diversity and inclusivity in research by requiring a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be reviewed as part of the application process.

The funding opportunity will support up to 2-4 awards with a total annual budget of approximately $2.4 million, each for a project period of up to five years. Applicants may request budgets to cover the specific costs of production, characterization, and dissemination of reagents. Cost-sharing is not required, and applicants from a wide range of institution types—including minority-serving institutions and faith-based organizations—are eligible, provided they meet NIH’s requirements for RLIs or are located in IDeA-eligible states. Only institutions based in the U.S. are eligible to apply.

Applicants must submit a detailed proposal including strategies for interfacing with the Armamentarium projects, scaling up production, and managing reagent distribution. Plans should also address cataloging, quality control, and user feedback mechanisms, including the creation of a website for resource access. Milestones and timelines for reagent production and dissemination will be evaluated during the review process, as will letters of institutional support confirming the commitment of RLIs or IDeA institutions to the project.

Submission requirements mandate adherence to NIH’s updated FORMS-I application format, with applications due on February 14, 2025, and subsequent due dates over the next few years. Applications must include a letter of intent 30 days before the due date, although this is not binding. All applicants are encouraged to engage in early submission to mitigate any system-related issues that could delay their application. A technical assistance webinar for potential applicants is scheduled for December 12, 2024, where NIH staff will address questions about the NOFO.

Evaluation criteria focus on significance, investigator expertise, innovation, approach, and environment, with a strong emphasis on plans for partnership with Armamentarium projects, production scalability, and reagent dissemination. Additionally, applications must demonstrate how they will enhance diversity in neuroscience research and outline strategies for the PEDP.